Hey there John,

I just personally got a swimbait rod and reel. The combo I put together is a Diawa Heartland from Tackle Warehouse. Very inexpensive rod, but good enough to handle some of the big baits out there. I have to say it's not a bad rod for starting out. I think if I started to throw more swimbait I would upgrade to a more stiffer rod. Other than that, I have the new Shimano Corvalus spooled with 25 lbs of Berkeley transition line. So far I like the combo and I've been throwing the Huddleston swimbait. I haven't caught anything yet. I might switch over to FishJC. Well, I hope this helps you decide on what you want. Personally, I think you should determine how much you want to spend and how often are you planning to throw these baits. My whole set up is 69 for the rod and 69 for the reel. I would definitely say get the reel first and then decide on the rod. If you like maybe we can so how meet up and you can try my combo. However, I won't be at the BnT tourney. I have wedding to go to. Dam! I wish it wasn't someone close to me.